GM: Packers ready to pay Rodgers

Gutekunst says team would like to work on extension

INDIANAPOLIS — Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said that the team would like to extend the contract of quarterback Aaron Rodgers “sooner rather than later.”

Gutekunst was asked about the two-time NFL MVP on Wednesday at the combine. He said that the team realizes it’s “not going to be inexpensive.”

Rodgers is under contract through the 2019 season following a five-year extension signed in 2013 that boosted his annual average salary to $22 million, making him the highest-paid player in the league back then.

The 34-year-old Rodgers has since been passed by other players, including the five-year deal worth a reported $137.5 million that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo agreed to with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gutekunst said that taking care of Rodgers is a high priority, “and I think that should take care of itself at some point.”

Gutekunst is in his first year as the Packers GM after replacing Ted Thompson.